By: Ilaria Pasquinelli, Twitter: @ilaria78, international marketing consultant for the textile and fashion industry.
In an earlier post I promised, I would report case studies of best and worst practices in sustainability communications. After having followed Hiut Denim’s newsletter and blog for weeks now I could wait no longer to place the brand in the best practise category. I‘ll tell you why.
Hiut Denim is an authentic brand. If it were a person, Hiut would be personable, open, honest, trustworthy, fun: maybe with black and white views and opinions but always in line with its values. Surely, a person deeply bond to its roots.
Hiut’s philosophyHiut’s values are the red thread in brand communications
Everything in Hiut’s communications speaks of its values that explain what the company stands for and by what it is driven. The company’s shareholders are “long-term thinkers”, a “rare commodity”. Ironically, the company is based in a town named Cardigan but its citizens have been “Jeans Grand Masters” for at least 3 decades: this means that they know how to make a good pair of jeans. Words like “longevity”, “quality”, “good design” and “long-term” are repeated numerous times and these are backed by the careful selection of fabrics and the high quality of craftsmanship. Craftsmanship is communicated with beautiful photos of product details and videos of the actual production that show attention to detail, care and, above all, passion.
Communications equals storytelling
Communication at Hiut means storytelling. Stories are told in a compelling and creative way and this is why consumers are engaged. The strength of Hiut’s communication is that everything links with one single story that goes back to the “why” the brand exists and where it is heading. It is all about content and not advertising and this is why the brand has gained credibility and trust.
I bet there are no Hiut Denim customers, most, if not all of them, will be fans. Hiut is able to depict a vision of life with few words and images. The Scrapbook Chronicles, the brand’s newsletter, is a collage of visions of this world. Those who bear the same values will love this world and will share it with their peers.
Craftsmanship and emotional longevitySustainability is ingrained in the brand’s essence and equals to emotional longevity
Sustainability is ingrained in Hiut’s world and, as a consequence, communication is seamless and sophisticated. For Hiut, sustainability equals first of all quality and then longevity, timeless design. Durability is not only physical because the jeans are made with the best available denim fabrics or because a repair service for ripped jeans is offered; more importantly, it is emotional durability thanks to the relation that fans establish with their pair of jeans. And emotional durability is certainly ensured by the compelling shopping experience as well as by the No Wash Club, the Denim Breaker Club and the History Tag. The No Wash Club invites fans not to wash their jeans in the first six months of their lives. The aim is to have jeans whose crease and line ..”will have been put there by you”. The Denim Breaker Club is an innovative test to explore new concepts of emotional ownership.
Hiut is also the first jeans brand to use the History Tag. Each pair of jeans carries a code that is stitched or printed so that it is never lost. The code can then be used on the History Tag web site to post the jeans’ story. If the jeans are sold or donated, the story continues.
Conclusion
To recap, Hiut Denim is a star at brand communications because:
- The brand is authentic and credible.
- Communication is basically compelling storytelling.
- Sustainability is engrained in the brand’s essence and, as a consequence, the “S word” is never mentioned but sustainable lifestyles are part of the brand’s world vision.
- The red thread of the brand’s communications is its roots, values and always links back to the “why” the brand exist and what it stands for.
